Dispensing carton

ABSTRACT

A one-piece paperboard carton for retaining and dispensing cigarettes and the like, the dispensing opening being controlled by a sliding sleeve surrounding the upper portion of the carton body, all exterior areas of the carton and sleeve exposing the same single surface of the paperboard.

United States Patent [1 1 Meyers et al.

[ Nov. 20, 1973 DISPENSING CARTON [75] Inventors: George Leroy Meyers, Menasha; pmfmry Exam",wr Samuel Rofljlberg David Charles Mueller Neenah Assistant Exammer-John M. Caskie both of wis Attorney-Robert P. Auber et al.

[73] Assignee: American Can Company,

Greenwich, Conn.

[22] Filed: May 4, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 250,355

A one-piece paperboard carton for retaining and dispensing cigarettes and the like, the dispensing opening ggg g g being controlled by a sliding sleeve surrounding the [58] i 19 44 upper portion of the carton body, all exterior areas of 2O 41 2 the carton and sleeve exposing the same single surface of the paperboard.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Claims, Drawing Figures 2,950,060 8/1960 Von Rudeen 229/ UX 4/ i; l l l l l l 4 I j! I 5% 6 /;fl Z l I l e 147 I L- 359 f5 if A 2; Z5 Z4 2 2.4 .2! 2f 24 DISPENSING CARTON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a dispensing carton construction for the retention and dispensing of cigarettes, small cigars or the like, the carton having an outer sliding sleeve with end closure panels attached thereto which automatically pivot between open and closed positions upon sliding the sleeve in telescoping fashion with respect to the main carton side wall panels.

The carton of this invention is constructed from a one-piece blank of paperboard cut and scored, folded and glued in such manner that the entire outer surface of the container section walls and the entire exposed surface of the sleeve portion and associated end closure panels are all formed of the same. side of the paperboard of which the carton is constructed.

Prior art cartons having sliding sleeves for providing dispensing openings have, of necessity, either been made from two-piece paperboard blanks or have incorporated the equally undesirable feature of exposing opposite sides of the base paperboard in the sleeve area and the main receptacle walls of the set up canon.

Conventionally produced paperboard, due to the manufacturing characteristics of the paper forming machinery on which it is produced, is two-sided, this expression being a term of art which recognizes that the two sides of a paper or paperboard web material are different, both in appearance and in properties such as smoothness, printability, coating receptivity and the like. The two-sidedness of paperboard is particularly evidenced in printing operations, in which it is wellknown that, if the two sides of a conventional paperboard web are printed with equal amounts of the same colored ink, the resulting printed images will differ, often to a surprising degree, in print quality, as evidenced by the degree of coverage of the base sheet by the ink, the gloss or reflectance of the printed image, and even in the shade or color of the printed image as viewed by the observer. Furthermore, even if the normal two-sidedness of the sheet is eliminated by surface treatment of the board to equalize the two surfaces, the problems and expense associated with two-side printing of paperboard for use in packaging applications are generally carefully avoided in the interest of overall economy.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the problems associated with the use of a conventional two-sided board in an automatic sleeve-type dispensing carton by providing a unique construction whereby all exposed portions of the sleeve-type carton display to the observer the same surface of the base paperboard. The paperboard web from which the carton is to be formed may be printed on any or all areas of the paperboard destined to become exterior surfaces of the carton in one pass through a printing press, all printing being applied to the same side of the paperboard web, there being no necessity for printing on the opposite side because none of such side is exposed on the outer surface of the carton.

The above and other objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the following specification and the accompanying drawing which illustrate a preferred form of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the one-piece blank from which the carton of the present invention is assembled. The blank is illustrated as having the inside surface exposed upwardly,

FIGS. 2 through 6 inclusive are plan views of the carton in successive steps of partial assembly,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the completed carton with the top dispensing opening in the closed position,

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the carton with the top opened to reveal the product contained in the package,

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view along line 9-9 in FIG. 7, and

FIG. 10 is a cross-section view along line 10-10 in FIG. 8.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The carton construction of the present invention provides a package for retaining and dispensing cigarettes, cigars or the like which is constructed of a single paperboard blank properly cut, scored, folded and glued to include a principal container portion and a sliding sleeve portion surrounding an upper portion of the container side walls, which sleeve portion, upon sliding movement in relation to the underlying container, acts to open or close the end panels of the container thereby to dispense the commodity in the container for consumer use.

The overall construction of the carton is such that the same paperboard surface is exposed on all portions of the exterior of the carton and sleeve, thereby avoiding the necessity of two-side printing of the paperboard, which is both expensive and generally unsatisfactory because of differences in the visual impression of print,- ing applied to opposite sides of carton-making paperboard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown inthe drawings illustrative of a preferred form of the invention:

The reference numeral 10 indicates generally the blank from which the carton is formed. The blank 10 is suitably cut and scored to provide a receptacle front wall panel 12, a receptacle rear wall panel 14 and two opposed receptacle side wall panels 16 and 18, all hingedly connected along parallel score lines 11', 13

and 15. Glue panel 20 is similarly hingedly connected to a remote side edge of wall panel 18 along score line 17. Bottom closure panels 24, 26, 28 and 30 of conventional construction are hingedly attached to the bottom edges of wall panels 12, 14, 16 and 18, respectively, along score lines 23, 25, 27 and 29.

Extending from the top edges of front wall panel 12 and rear wall panel 14 are substantially equivalent series of hingedly connected panel members. The panel series extending from the top edge of front wall' panel 12 along score line 33 includes, in sequence, a lower front connecting panel 34, an upper front connecting panel 36, an inner front cover panel 38, an inner front sleeve panel 40, an outer front sleeve panel 42 and an outer front cover panel 44, this series of panels being hingedly connected, in the sequence given, along parallel score lines 35, 37, 39, 41 and 43, respectively.

A similar series of panels of equivalent size and shape similarly extends from the top edge of rear wall panel 14 along score line 45, the series including, in sequence, lower rear connecting panel 46, upper rear connecting panel 48, inner rear cover panel 50, inner rear sleeve panel 52, outer rear sleeve panel 54 and outer rear cover panel 56, these panels being hingedly connected, in the sequence given, along parallel score lines 47, 49, 51, 53 and 55, respectively.

Front and rear outer sleeve panels 42 and 54 are also connected to opposed edges of sleeve side panel 60 along score lines 59 and 61, respectively. Side sleeve panel 60 thus serves as a bridging panel between the front and rear outer sleeve panels 42 and 54.

Extending from the remaining side edge of each of outer front sleeve panel 42 and outer rear sleeve panel 54 are sleeve glue panels 64 and 66, respectively, hingedly attached to the respective sleeve panels along score lines 63 and 65. These sleeve glue panels, when overlapped and adhered together, form a sleeve side panel opposed to panel 60.

It is to be noted that the lower and upper connecting panels 34, 46 and 36, 48, respectively, are substantially shorter in their longer dimension than the overall width of the front and rear wall panels from which they extend, in order that they fold smoothly within the upper portion of the completed carton without contact or interference with the side walls. Thus, score lines 33 and 45 do not extend to the side edges of the front and rear wall panels 12 and 14, but are restricted to the central portion of the upper edges of these panels. Further, the side wall panels 16 and 18 extend above scores 33 and 45 by an amount substantially equal to the width of lower connecting panels 34 and 46, the upper edges of the side wall panels 16 and 18 thus being substantially in line with extensions of score lines 35 and 47 which delineate the upper limits of lower connecting panels 34 and 46 and also serve as the hinge connections between these panels and the outer connecting panels 36 and 48. In essence, then, the lower front connecting panel 34 is formed from an area of paperboard lying between the vertical score lines outlining the front wall panels and below a line drawn across the upper edges of the side wall panels. This is an area which normally constitutes a portion of the front wall of a carton having regular rectangular wall panels of equal height. Similarly, the lower rear connecting panel 46 is formed from an area of board normally constituting a portion of the rear wall of a carton having regular rectangular wall panels of equal height. The front wall and the rear wall of the carton each has an upper edge which consists essentially of three portions, a central portion defined by a score line, 33 and 45, respectively, hingedly connecting the respective receptacle wall with a series of closure and sleeve forming panels, the score line being recessed below the line marking the upper edge of the side walls, and two short, angled cut edges leading diagonally upward and outward from the ends of the score line, 33 or 45, respectively, to the points of juncture with an adjacent end of the upper edge of a side wall panel. In the drawings, the upper edges of the side wall panels are shown to be arcuate, with the angled portions of the front and rear wall panel upper edges being extensions of the same arcs. This is a preferred form, but it is to be understood that each of these respective line segments may be a straight line, the upper edges of the side wall panel being parallel to score lines 27 and 29 at the bottom of the receptacle and normal to score lines 11, 13, and 17, and the angled portions of the front and rear panel edges also being straight lines, rather than arcuate. Similarly, the

free edges of connecting panels 34, 36, 46 and 48 may also be straight or arcuate, as desired.

In forming the blank as described above and illustrated in FIG. 1 into a receptacle suitable for containing and dispensing articles such as cigarettes or cigars, pencils or the like, an adhesive is first applied to the inner surface of outer cover panels 44 and 56, as shown by the stippling 68 on these areas in FIG. 1, after which the outermost sections of the series of panels extending from the top edge of the front and rear wall panels 12 and 14 are folded inwardly along score lines 41 and 53 to lie superposed, as shown in FIG. 2, on the less remote sections of the extending series of panels. Specifically, outer sleeve panels 42 and 54 are thereby brought into overlying relationship to inner sleeve panels 40 and 52, respectively, and outer cover panels 44 and 56 are brought into overlying adhered relationship with inner cover panels 38 and 50, respectively.

In the next step of the carton formation process, the panel assembly forming the sleeve and cover portion of the package is folded outwardly along score lines 37 and 49 so that the partially completed carton assumes the status illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein the inner sleeve panels 40 and 52 partially underlie the lower connecting panels 34 and 46, respectively, and the upper portion of the front and rear wall panels, 12 and 14, respectively, in contact with the outer surfaces thereof. Similarly, sleeve side panel 60 underlies the upper portion of the outside surface of side wall panel 16 and sleeve glue panel 66 underlies the upper portion of the outside surface of side wall panel 18. Further, front and rear inner cover panels 38 and 50 now underlie upper connecting panels 36 and 48 to which they are respectively hingedly connected.

In the next step in construction of the finished carton, adhesive is applied to the outer surface of glue panel 20 and the assembly comprising side wall panel 18, glue panel 20 and bottom closure panel 30 is folded inward about score line 15 to lie superposed on the inner surface of rear wall panel 14 and bottom closure panel 26, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The adhesive 70 applied to glue panel 20 thus lies exposed on the upper surface of the panel as shown in FIG. 4.

Folding of front wall panel 12 and associated sleeve and cover elements inward along score line 11 brings the edge-adjacent portion of the inner surface of panel 12 into overlying adhered contact with the adhesive 70 applied on the exposed surface of glue panel 20, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Concurrently, glue panel 64 comes into overlying relationship to the upper section of end wall panel 18, and end wall panel 16 now underlies a portion of front wall panel 12 and the overall sleeve assembly including, in successive layers, lower connecting panel 34, inner sleeve panel 40 and outer sleeve panel 42.

Finally, to form a completed glued shell, adhesive 72 is applied to the inner, exposed surface of glue panel 66 as shown by stippling in FIG. 5 and this panel is then folded inwardly about score line 65 to overlie glue panel 64 in adhered relationship thereto, as shown in FIG. 6.

In order to form the final container, the shell is squared up to form a rectangular tube, the bottom closure flaps 24, 26, 28 and 30 are infolded about their associated hinge score lines 23, 25, 27 and 29 and are adhered together in well-known manner to form a conventional carton bottom construction.

The cover or top closing elements of the carton are two double thickness panels of equivalent construction, each including an inner cover panel 38 and 50, respectively, and an outer cover panel 44 and 56, respectively, adhesively secured thereto. Each such laminar cover panel serves as a cover element for one half of the top opening of the container. The two cover elements are in the closed position when the sleeve, generally indicated in FIGS. 7-10 by the number 74, is in a position whereby it surrounds the uppermost portion of the receptacle side walls, as shown in FIG. 7 and in cross-section in FIG. 9.

The carton is opened for dispensing of the contents by sliding the sleeve 74 downward in relation to the underlying receptacle side walls to a position illustrated in FIG. 8 and in cross-section in FIG. 10. The downward motion of the sleeve forces a combined hingedly pivoting motion and downwardly sliding motion of the cover elements as the hinged pivot points 43 and 55 gradually change in position from that shown in FIG. 9 to that shown in FIG. 10. During the downward motion of the sleeve 74, the upper connecting panels 36 and 48 undergo a complex rotation and translation from the position shown in FIG. 9 to that shown in FIG. 10, whereas lower connecting panels 34 and 46 merely pivot about fixed hinged score lines 33 and 45,'respectively, transcribing a simple arc between the positions shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

As best illustrated in FIG. 8, the package with the top in opened position presents the product 80, here represented by small cigars with plastic mouth pieces, for easy grasp and removal from the receptacle, particularly due to the fact that the height of the center portion of the front and rear walls of the receptacle is reduced as compared to the end walls. The area normally occupied by the upper central portion of the front and rear walls constitutes the lower connecting panels 34 and 46 which, in the open position, are pivoted outwardly of the plane of the receptacle walls to permit easy finger access to the product.

It is to be understood that the manner and sequence for folding and gluing of the various panels in the setting up of the carton may be varied somewhat in accordance with individual preference or machine requirements. For example, it may be desirable that the first fold formed in the blank would be outwardly along score lines 37 and 49, followed by a reverse or inward folding along score lines 41 and 53. The sequence and adhesive application could also be varied so that panel 66 underlies panel 64. Furthermore, the glue panel could be shifted to swing from front panel 12, with accompanying appropriate changes in adhesive application and panel folding sequences to achieve a finished carton comparable to that herein described as exemplary.

It is to be particularly noted that all exterior surfaces of the receptacle, itself, the sliding sleeve and the cover panels expose the same surface of the basic paperboard of which the carton is constructed. This is a highly desirable feature of this construction, both from a manufacturing standpoint and from the standpoint of appealing appearance which relates to the merchandising of the carton and contents. From a manufacturing standpoint, it is impractical and, indeed, economically unfeasible to apply high quality printing for the sake of overall market appeal to both sides of the paperboard normally utilized in carton manufacture. It is therefore important that all surfaces which form the exposed, printed exterior surface of a carton be constituted of the same surface of the paperboard in order to avoid the expense associated with applying printing to selected areas of both sides of the board.

From an aesthetic standpoint, it is also important that the entire printed area of the package be constituted of one side of the paperboard, since it is well-known that the visual impression conveyed by application of printing to carton-making paperboard differs substantially depending on which side of the board is printed. This is because the two sides of standard carton-making paperboard are rarely, if ever, of the same degree of smoothness and do not accept printing ink equally, so the print quality varies substantially from one side to the other. Obviously, it would be aesthetically unappealing and would deleteriously affect the market appeal of a package if, for example, the main body of the package displayed an exterior surface printed on one side of the board, whereas an adjacent area, such as the sleeve area of the present construction, had an exposed surface printed on the opposite side of the paperboard and therefore displayed a surface of different gloss and tonal quality.

This undesirable situation is avoided in the present construction by the unique arrangement of the panel elements forming the sliding sleeve and associated connecting and closure panels, as hereinbefore described, so that only one surface of the paperboard is exposed anywhere on the exterior of the carton. I-Ieretofore, it was believed that a two-piece blank would be necessary to construct a satisfactory sliding sleeve carton wherein all exterior surfaces exposed the same side of the paperboard.

Having now shown and described the invention in a specific preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications may be applied without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is not intended to be restricted except in accordance with the spirit of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A one-piece carton made of paperboard printed on one side only thereof, said carton comprising:

a receptacle portion including hingedly connected front wall panel, opposed rear wall panel, a pair of opposed side wall panels and a glue panel, said glue panel adhesively joining said front, side and rear panels into a hollow rectangular tube,

bottom closure panels hingedly dependent from said front, rear and side wall panels and adhered together to close the bottom end of said tube,

said front wall panel and said rear wall panel each having hingedly attached to'and extending from the upper edge thereof a series of hingedly interconnected sleeve and closure-forming panels comprising, in the sequence listed, a lower connecting panel, an upper connecting panel, an inner cover panel, an inner sleeve panel, an outer sleeve panel and an outer cover panel, sleeve side panel extending between and hingedly connected to an adjacent side edge of each of said outer sleeve panels, and a sleeve glue panel extending from the remote side edge of each of said outer sleeve panels, said series of sleeve and closure-formingpanels being folded along the hinge line joining said respective inner and outer sleeve panels to bring the inner surfaces of said respective inner and outer sleeve panels into face to face contact and the inner surfaces of said respective inner and outer closure panels into face to face contact, said inner closure panels being adhesively secured to said respective outer closure panels, said series of sleeve and closure panels each also being folded along the hinge line between said upper connecting panel and said inner cover panel to sandwich said inner sleeve panel between the respective outer sleeve panel and the related wall panel and to bring said side sleeve panel into overlying relationship to the upper portion of the outer surface of one side wall panel, said sleeve glue panels being in overlying adhered relationship one to the other and both overlying the upper portion of the outer surface of the other, opposed side wall panel,

whereby said sleeve and closure-forming panels constitute a sleeve slidably surrounding the upper portion of said receptacle portion and closure elements associated with said sleeve which, as said sleeve slides in relation to said receptacle, move from a position in which the end of said receptacle is open to a position in which the end of said receptacle is closed by said closure elements.

2 A carton according to claim 1 wherein said front and rear walls are recessed in the medial portion of their upper edges with respect to the upper edges of the adjacent side wall panels, said lower connecting panels being within said recess area and extending to a height substantially equal to that of said upper edges of said adjacent side wall panels.

3. A one-piece paperboard blank for a carton, suitably cut and scored to provide:

a receptacle front wall panel, receptacle rear wall panel, a pair of opposed side wall panels and a glue panel hingedly connected at their side edges along parallel score lines,

a bottom closure panel hingedly attached at the bottom edge of each of said front, rear and side panels,

a series of hingedly interconnected top closure and sleeve forming panels hingedly connected to and extending from the upper edge of said receptacle front wall panel and said receptacle rear wall panel, each of said series of panels comprising, in the sequence listed, a lower connecting panel hinged to a respective one of said receptacle front and rear wall panels, an upper connecting panel, an inner cover panel, an inner sleeve panel, an outer sleeve panel and an outer cover panel,

side sleeve panel extending between the adjacent side edges of said outer sleeve panels and hingedly connected to each of said outer sleeve panels and a sleeve glue panel hingedly connected to and extending from the remote side edge of said outer sleeve panels.

4. A paperboard blank according to claim 3 wherein said side wall panels are of greater height than the central portions of said front and rear wall panels, said lower connecting panels being constituted of paperboard material lying between the hinged lines joining said connecting panels to their respective receptacle panels and a line extending across the top edges of said side panels.

5. A paperboard blank according to claim 4 wherein said hinged connection between each lower connecting panel and its respective receptacle wall panel is shorter than the overall width of said receptacle wall panel. 

1. A one-piece carton made of paperboard printed on one side only thereof, said carton comprising: a receptacle portion including hingedly conNected front wall panel, opposed rear wall panel, a pair of opposed side wall panels and a glue panel, said glue panel adhesively joining said front, side and rear panels into a hollow rectangular tube, bottom closure panels hingedly dependent from said front, rear and side wall panels and adhered together to close the bottom end of said tube, said front wall panel and said rear wall panel each having hingedly attached to and extending from the upper edge thereof a series of hingedly interconnected sleeve and closure-forming panels comprising, in the sequence listed, a lower connecting panel, an upper connecting panel, an inner cover panel, an inner sleeve panel, an outer sleeve panel and an outer cover panel, a sleeve side panel extending between and hingedly connected to an adjacent side edge of each of said outer sleeve panels, and a sleeve glue panel extending from the remote side edge of each of said outer sleeve panels, said series of sleeve and closure-forming panels being folded along the hinge line joining said respective inner and outer sleeve panels to bring the inner surfaces of said respective inner and outer sleeve panels into face to face contact and the inner surfaces of said respective inner and outer closure panels into face to face contact, said inner closure panels being adhesively secured to said respective outer closure panels, said series of sleeve and closure panels each also being folded along the hinge line between said upper connecting panel and said inner cover panel to sandwich said inner sleeve panel between the respective outer sleeve panel and the related wall panel and to bring said side sleeve panel into overlying relationship to the upper portion of the outer surface of one side wall panel, said sleeve glue panels being in overlying adhered relationship one to the other and both overlying the upper portion of the outer surface of the other, opposed side wall panel, whereby said sleeve and closure-forming panels constitute a sleeve slidably surrounding the upper portion of said receptacle portion and closure elements associated with said sleeve which, as said sleeve slides in relation to said receptacle, move from a position in which the end of said receptacle is open to a position in which the end of said receptacle is closed by said closure elements.
 2. A carton according to claim 1 wherein said front and rear walls are recessed in the medial portion of their upper edges with respect to the upper edges of the adjacent side wall panels, said lower connecting panels being within said recess area and extending to a height substantially equal to that of said upper edges of said adjacent side wall panels.
 3. A one-piece paperboard blank for a carton, suitably cut and scored to provide: a receptacle front wall panel, receptacle rear wall panel, a pair of opposed side wall panels and a glue panel hingedly connected at their side edges along parallel score lines, a bottom closure panel hingedly attached at the bottom edge of each of said front, rear and side panels, a series of hingedly interconnected top closure and sleeve forming panels hingedly connected to and extending from the upper edge of said receptacle front wall panel and said receptacle rear wall panel, each of said series of panels comprising, in the sequence listed, a lower connecting panel hinged to a respective one of said receptacle front and rear wall panels, an upper connecting panel, an inner cover panel, an inner sleeve panel, an outer sleeve panel and an outer cover panel, a side sleeve panel extending between the adjacent side edges of said outer sleeve panels and hingedly connected to each of said outer sleeve panels and a sleeve glue panel hingedly connected to and extending from the remote side edge of said outer sleeve panels.
 4. A paperboard blank according to claim 3 wherein said side wall panels are of greater height than the central portions of said front and rear wall panels, said lower connecting panels being consTituted of paperboard material lying between the hinged lines joining said connecting panels to their respective receptacle panels and a line extending across the top edges of said side panels.
 5. A paperboard blank according to claim 4 wherein said hinged connection between each lower connecting panel and its respective receptacle wall panel is shorter than the overall width of said receptacle wall panel. 